Catching the Magic

Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!

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Playing in the Wellington heat wave

January 29, 2015January 29, 2015 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Photo Gallery, School hols, Seasons

It’s been scorching in Wellington this past week (and after acclimatising to warmer temperatures in our year and a bit living in southern California) hubby and I have been LOVING it! This was my view the other day (from the shelter of a beach tent – weighted down with driftwood) of my hubby and youngest […]

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Country Kids | Active snapshots from our week

April 18, 2014 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Lifestyle, Playgrounds & Parks

Sharing some active snapshots from the past week of my three active daughters… Swinging in the garden under a shady tree, with friendly lizards and birds for company – Climbing at the playground, with the agility of monkeys, the enthusiasm of bees chasing pollen, and the confidence of feeling comfortable in their own bodies – […]

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Things I’m Loving

February 8, 2013 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Life in action - Videos, Loving & Not Loving

As I sit down this Friday evening, and reflect on the week that has been, I acknowledge the tougher moments of family life that have been – but let them go now. This is time to capture the magic, the moments to hold on to, to keep us strong, to see us through. The moments […]

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Lyrical Sunday | Play

August 26, 2012August 26, 2012 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Lyrical Sunday

Inside the mind of my two year old… ‘Play with me! Play with me! – And with my magic wand, I’ll turn you into… a tree!’ ‘Help me save the baby lion cub – you can be in my animal rescue club!’ ‘Let’s dance, play tag, catch the ball – climb up there – careful […]

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10 things to do in the winter sun on the beach

August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Learning & growing, Sarah, Sophie

Draw a giant snakes and ladders games in the sand and play with pebble markers. Make a dice substitute by drawing six rings in the sand (with number 6 in the smallest, centre ring, and number 1 in the largest, outside ring). Choose an object to throw at the rings to score (could be a […]

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Expressions on a Wednesday in a Tutu!

November 16, 2011 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Sophie

We’re half way through term four and on a roll to Christmas, with all the dance shows, carol singing and preparations. Sophie is really settling in to her new school and coming home every day with a smile and a pile of reading. She brings home wonderful books and often has the whole family acting […]

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Do I stop at the beach?

September 23, 2011 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Sophie

I have no towels, no changes of clothes or togs for them to splash in. The air still has a chill, the water’s still cold. But I have the car and it’s a short drive home. The beach is deserted, except for another couple of mothers letting their children run free in and out of the gentle, […]

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Taking baby dolls for a walk…

August 13, 2011August 13, 2011 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Alice, Life in action - Videos

Nearly 18 months old and Alice adores teddy bears and dolls. Bears, dolls and boxes are her favourite toys. With Charlotte it was a train fascination at this age – we collected trains and track, read ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ and took bags of trains out with us wherever we went (though there was one […]

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What must my children’s friends think of me?!

August 12, 2011August 12, 2011 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Random Musings, Sarah

Take a moment to think back to your childhood… Did some of your friend’s parents stick firmly in your mind for being a little unusual? Or maybe boring? Or control freaks? Or perhaps they were wanna be comedians and thought they were ‘cool’ just like you? Perhaps they were too serious, or scary? Drunk or […]

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Things we love: Egyptian Toilet Roll Mummies

February 26, 2011 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Life in action - Videos, Loving & Not Loving

What better way to start a Saturday morning… Than with two children standing quiet and still for a few minutes… I did say a ‘few minutes’… didn’t take long for our Egyptian Mummies to break free… And we were resourceful with the toilet paper: – One roll is in a bag by my side to […]

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Surrendering to play this Labour Weekend

October 24, 2010 BritMumInNZ 18 Comments Holidays

Yes we have chores to do and some of them are getting accomplished, but on the whole we have been making the most of this long weekend to spend some good quality time together as a family. Dan and I are feeling shattered and sometimes the unstoppable energy of our children is simply exhausting to […]

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Cuddly toy take-over!

October 20, 2010 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Random Musings, Sophie

After the Kindi Fair on Saturday the girls were inspired to set up their own cuddly toy raffle. They numbered over 60 toys with paper, pen and sello-tape! Then they duplicated the numbers and put them in a bowl. This was a great learning exercise for Sophie in reading bigger numbers. Dan was roped in […]

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Wordless Wednesday

October 13, 2010October 13, 2010 BritMumInNZ 13 Comments Alice

When you are this small and dinner ended up pasted all over, from head to toe, why not have a bath in the sink?! And two big girls wish they could shrink for a moment and join their baby sister… ______________________________________________________________ For more ‘Wordless Wednesday’ photos click here.

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The Happy Den

October 9, 2010 BritMumInNZ 12 Comments Garden, School hols

Where we live is surrounded by trees and close to the sea. The garden is what really attracted us to the property. It’s not easy to find a flat section in the hilly topography of Wellington. And to find somewhere set back from the road with a safe driveway for the children to ride their […]

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Older posts
  • WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024!February 20, 2025
    In November 2024 I took on the epic endurance event of the 50km WAI2K Ultra, from Woodside Train Station in Greytown, through the hills of the Wairarapa and Kaitoke Regional Park, to Tunnel Gully Upper Picnic Area in Upper Hutt. This mixed terrain course involves around 2,500m of elevation gain through dense scrub, beautiful native… Read more: WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024!
  • Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well.February 6, 2025
    Life is never all sunshine and roses. When we have had the good fortunate of having people in our lives that we’ve loved deeply, and have felt their love in return, it is painful to see that person suffering. Life is all about beginnings and endings, hellos and goodbyes, first moments and celebrations, and also… Read more: Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well.
  • Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024January 6, 2025
    At the end of May 2024 my husband and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary and took the opportunity to grab a fix of winter sunshine, over the ‘King’s Birthday’ weekend public holiday (beginning of June), with a trip to the Gold Coast – on Australia’s East Coast. We were joined by our children, Sophie… Read more: Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024
  • ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024January 2, 2025
    After over twenty five years of living thousands of miles away from my birth country, and many flights back and forth, I am still in awe of the fact I can be on the other side of the world in 24 hours. I remind myself that jet passenger services didn’t start until the late 1950s… Read more: ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024
  • Race Tekapo 50kmSeptember 29, 2024
    Race registration on Friday night, by the shore of Lake Tekapo, was a ‘hold on tight to your bib’ or you won’t be going anywhere tomorrow affair. The bitingly cold air was a shock to the system, after my husband, daughter and I had driven from a sunny, spring like day in Christchurch. Our flight… Read more: Race Tekapo 50km
  • Running the stunning Motatapu Trail MarathonMay 30, 2024
    This was one of the most beautiful trail marathons I’ve ran and was a great way to celebrate a summer of running and see in the beginning of autumn (though the weather was still very much throwing the heat of summer on event day – which fell on the first Saturday in March). The 42km… Read more: Running the stunning Motatapu Trail Marathon
  • 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra!May 21, 2024
    I’ve been on a good running streak for over a year now (meaning no injuries, illness or troublesome hormones to slow me down – thanks to a mix of strength work, good luck and hormone replacement therapy!). When I saw that a new event was going to be held in the city where I live… Read more: 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra!
  • Six month catch up!March 9, 2024
    Time is literally flying away on me and blog writing is very neglected these days, but we are all well here and can’t believe our lovely Christmas and New Year festivities were three months ago! Spring and summer has raced by and now we are on the cusp of autumn here in New Zealand. Since… Read more: Six month catch up!
  • Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.August 8, 2023
    With the days dark and short here in New Zealand we jetted off for some warmth and sunshine in the Cook Islands, just a three to four hour flight from Auckland. We have never visited any of the Pacific Islands and it was with great delight that we touched down on the runway in Rarotonga,… Read more: Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
  • Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday CelebrationAugust 7, 2023
    Turning 50 is definitely a milestone birthday, but hubby Dan didn’t want a party so in February we decided to head away for the weekend to celebrate at the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival. Dan’s Birthday fell on the same weekend as the festival, in the sunshine summer month of February here in New Zealand,… Read more: Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday Celebration
  • A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon!May 10, 2023
    Round the Bays Wellington, held in February every year, is always an iconic event, generally bestowed with sunshine and an amazing turn out of people of all ages. The atmosphere for this event is like a festival, with entertainment lining the route of the first 6km, between Waitangi Park and Kilbirnie Park (where all the… Read more: A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon!
  • Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles!April 4, 2023
    On Census night in New Zealand we were away from home, up in Auckland (along with thousands of other people from all over the country) to enjoy an epic night of entertainment at Mt Smart Stadium. We flew up first thing on Tuesday morning, giving us plenty of time to enjoy some sight seeing before… Read more: Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles!
  • Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter!March 30, 2023
    Our youngest turned 13 in February, joining her older two siblings in ‘teen hood’ (though our oldest will turn 20 in June this year!). Having started high school a couple of weeks before her birthday there was, certainly for me, a moment of nostalgia as I reflected on how grown up my ‘baby’ has become… Read more: Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter!
  • Summer holiday in Rotorua & TaupoMarch 29, 2023
    The last week of January, before the start of a new school year, we drove up from Wellington to the central region of the North Island for a week’s holiday. We’ve holidayed in this area many times over the years and never tire of the endless outdoor activities on offer in the most beautiful natural… Read more: Summer holiday in Rotorua & Taupo
  • Christmas and a Birthday in WellingtonJanuary 12, 2023
    Sunshine was gifted to us on Christmas Day this year in Wellington and we had the most wonderfully relaxed day together (well, almost all together, as our oldest currently lives in Melbourne and so we video chatted and were delighted to see them having an awesome time with a friend and their friend’s family). We… Read more: Christmas and a Birthday in Wellington

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